Master Bathroom Design Plans

It’s hard to believe I need to start thinking about all the materials and fixtures I’m using inside the master bathroom of my flip house. We are just finishing up framing this week and I have my plumber and HVAC contractors lined up to start roughing in the ducts and plumbing lines next. But, I need to have the tub and shower fixtures chosen so the plumber can install the water and waste pipes for the bathrooms and the kitchen. I’m learning on the fly about contingent tasks and it feels a little crazy right now. This week I learned I have to have the plumbing roughed in before the roof is installed. Details, they matter!

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you’ve seen a fair amount of progress on the house. If you’ve been following the Saving Etta chapters, I admit I’m behind the times. I received a comment from a reader who was angry that the chapters weren’t in real time. My explanation for this is that I just can’t do it all. Managing a project this size has left me with very little time to keep the blog updated. When I release a Saving Etta chapter, I want it to be well written for your enjoyment. With that being said, I hope you’ll forgive me if it takes a while for the Saving Etta chapters to get caught up (truth be told they may never be current.)

With that explanation out of the way, I want to share my mood boards. Today, let’s delve into my vision for the master bathroom. I hope you like the design direction I’m taking and will weigh in on a couple of questionable ideas I have.

In full disclosure, I’m working with Jeffrey Court Tiles. They are one of the fantastic sponsors for the Saving Etta project. If you’ve been to Home Depot lately, and wandered through the tile section, you probably swooned over some of the Jeffrey Court tiles. I bet you didn’t know that there are many more tiles varieties on their website!

Let’s start with the floor tiles. I recently discovered these beautiful Montpelier marble mosaic tiles. The pattern is intricately designed with tiny squares. Gorgeous, right?!

For the floor of the shower, I want to use these dark marble hex tiles. Not only will they add some contrast, but they also add some depth to the space. Plus, hopefully they will look clean even when dirty ;-).

The walls of the shower will be classic white subway tiles. I’m trying to maintain a historic and timeless feel in all three bathrooms. The shampoo niche will have more of the Montpelier mosaic tiles from the bathroom floor.

Being that this is the master bathroom, I want to add something extra special for the homeowners. Therefore, I’ve decided to install a super quiet exhaust fan from NuTone with a Bluetooth Wireless Speaker inside! You read that right, a fan with a hidden speaker inside. NuTone is also one of the Saving Etta sponsors. But, I would have used a NuTone fan regardless. They make quality exhaust fans that last for decades! We still have the original NuTone bath fans in our 40 year old house.

Finally, I’d like to add some hanging pendants in the master bathroom, but I’ll need to hang them high enough so they don’t get knocked around. Luckily, the master bathroom has 9 foot ceilings. What do you think about this idea? Are pendants in a bathroom weird? Will they be an annoyance or a upscale feature?

These are the pendants I bought from Houzz.com:

Hanging Triangle Shaped Glass Shade Pendent Fixture, Transparent

Finally, I haven’t been thrilled with the vanities available and want to make my own vanity. But, time will tell if I have the time to make it happen. There is so much to be done on the house and I’m hoping to have it finished by fall. It really would be amazing to be able to clone myself. In the meantime, I’m just going to keep chugging along.

Please let me know what you think about this design plan in the comments. Do you have pendants in your bathroom? Are they cool or a pain?

Image Sources:

Farmhouse Bathroom designed by Anne Sneed Architectural Interiors, featured on OneKinDesign

Tile Shower designed by Allison Willson, photography by Stacey Brandford

Montpelier Mosaic Tiles by Jeffrey Court Tiles

Black Marble Hexagon Tiles by Jeffrey Court Tiles

White Subway Tiles by Jeffrey Court Tiles

Hanging Cone Pendant Lights from Houzz.com

Very Quiet Bath Exhaust Fan from Nutone

Sensonic Bath Fan Speaker Accessory from Nutone

I can’t wait to share the rest of the mood boards with you. Stay tuned.

Disclosure: NuTone and Jeffrey Court are both sponsors of the Saving Etta project. They will be providing complimentary products for the project.

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl
Endurance BioBarrier Review

I’m going to warn you now, this is not a pretty post. But, this product review of Endurance Cleaner Prep and Endurance BioBarrier will most likely be one of your favorite posts if you deal with continual mold & mildew growth (especially in a small coffin-like shower from the 1970’s.)

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

You may remember how much I love our master bathroom shower:

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl

That ugly harvest gold tile shower is the ugliest spot in our home. And, its attractive color is not helped by the mold growth that returns like clockwork every three weeks. I have tried everything to control its regrowth. What I’ve tried is using bleach, and leaving the shower door open all day. I even replaced the caulk in this shower. But, every three weeks that mold peeks out from the cracks and crevices.

This bathroom is slated to be demolished at some point, but until then it needs constant cleaning. That is until a few months ago when I tried Endurance BioBarrier Mold Prevention Spray (non-toxic and low-odor.)

Endurance sent me a the Cleaner Prep and Biobarrier to try out. You may remember that I tried it after cleaning our dirty and moldy storm windows.

Easy Clean Your Storm Windows with Steam | Pretty Handy Girl

I didn’t want to blog about the products until I had tried them for more than a few months. I’m happy to report that for four months, I didn’t need to clean our shower! Normally after three weeks the mold and mildew would have been happily growing in the corners of my shower.

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl

On February 5th, 2015 I set about cleaning the shower with high hopes but big doubts.

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl

As directed, I sprayed the Endurance BioBarrier Cleaner Prep in the shower. I let it sit for 15 minutes (1-5 minutes for normal cleaning. 15 minutes for tougher jobs.)

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl

To clean off the mildew and mold, I used a scrub brush. Then rinsed all the surfaces with water.

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl

After the shower is completely cleaned with the Cleaner Prep, spray the Endurance BioBarrier Anti-Mold protection spray to create a thin film on all surfaces.

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl

Wipe up any puddled spray after a few minutes.

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl

The shower was clean and devoid of any mold or mildew. Nothing miraculous yet. I can achieve the same results with bleach cleaner.

Mold & Mildew Free Shower for 4 months | Pretty Handy Girl

But, here’s where the similarities end. After four months (not three weeks) was the first time I began to see some mildew and mold regrowth. Read more

How to Clean a Stinky Bathroom as if a Magazine Photographer was coming | Pretty Handy Girl

Seaside Theme Bathroom Refresh #LowesCreator | Pretty Handy Girl

I AM SO EXCITED! Remember when I was slaving away on our kitchen on my hands and knees?

PHG_sanding_floors

While I was in the trenches of DIY, one thing kept me going steady (besides the extra doses of Advil.) It was the dream of having our home featured in a magazine. Well, that dream became reality this week! If you happen to be in the magazine section of a store near you, you might see this:

Do It Yourself Magazine Spring 2015

Do It Yourself is one of my favorite publications because they feature beautiful homes and projects that were created by the homeowner. They Did It Themselves! Plus, the magazine shows you how to complete the same projects yourself! I am super honored that they wanted to photograph my home and some of my DIY projects for this issue.

But, I have to tell you, I was very nervous before the photo shoot. I had visions of the editor and photographer walking in my home and walking back out in disgust. As the date drew closer, I was frantically checking last minute fixes and DIY projects off my list:

master bedroom:
build king sized bed
paint ombré effect on master bedroom walls
paint knotty pine dresser
paint vanity
create button pendant light
add legs to nightstand

foyer:
hack an ugly IKEA dresser
hang mirror

boys’ bathroom:
paint mirror frame
paint vanity
re-caulk board & batten
clean, clean, clean
figure out how to get rid of the urine smell! YIKES!!!

Any of you who have boys know that they have poor aim! No matter how clean I get their bathroom it still has a slight urine odor. Please, please tell me that I’m not the only one with this problem.

Do or Do Not...There is No Try - Yoda Quote

Funny story: I created this little piece of art that hangs on the wall over the toilet in the boys’ bathroom. I thought the kids would love it because they are big Star Wars fans. I also wanted them to think about this sage advice everyday when they wake up. Handsome Guy thought it was my attempt to get the kids to improve their aim. #Headsmack

Anyway, back to the urine odor. I would be mortified if the photographer and editor walked into that bathroom and got a whiff of pee. I set forth with only a few cleaning supplies to try to eliminate the odor (because “Do or Do Not…There is No Try.)

How to Clean a Stinky Boys’ Bathroom (as if a Magazine Photographer was Coming!)

How to Clean a Stinky Bathroom as if a Magazine Photographer was coming | Pretty Handy Girl

Supplies:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Let’s get busy! Read more

Replace Water Lines with Braided Metal Hoses | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes | Pretty Handy Girl

Welcome to Day 9 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. Would you believe that a burst water line can cause tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to your home? It’s true! If one of your water supply lines is not braided metal, you could be putting your home in danger of a massive leak; leading to a flood; which can lead to rot, mold and termites! Yup, termites love moist wood.

Day 9: Replace All Water Lines with Braided Metal:

Take a few minutes to look behind your toilet, behind your washing machine and under sinks to see if you have water supply lines that look like these:Replace Water Lines with Braided Metal Hoses | Pretty Handy Girl

If you do, it’s time to change them out for braided metal water lines:

Replace Water Lines with Braided Metal Hoses | Pretty Handy Girl

And if you are purchasing a new washer, dishwasher or refrigerator, request braided metal water supply lines instead of the basic lines that are sold with the appliance. The cost difference is literally a few dollars in some cases. That extra dollar or two could save you tens of thousands of dollars!

Replacing the water lines is as easy as attaching your garden hose. To replace your washing machine hoses, locate the water shut off (usually it is behind the washer.) Turn the knobs off. Then remove the supply line from the shut off and the back of the washer. Have a towel underneath to capture any drips.

Replace Water Lines with Braided Metal Hoses | Pretty Handy Girl

Tighten the new braided hoses onto the washing machine and the water shut off valve. Turn the water back on and look for any drips or leaks. You might need to use a wrench to tighten up to half a turn more if you notice any drips after you turn the water back on.

Replace Water Lines with Braided Metal Hoses | Pretty Handy Girl

Replacing the water lines to your toilet and sink is almost as easy, usually the shut off valve looks like this:

water_shut_off_valve

Replacing the dishwasher water line can be a bit trickier if it is behind your cabinets. You might need to call in a helper to help you remove the dishwasher.

PHGFancySign

Pin for later!

water line replacement

 

I’m participating in Nester’s 31 Days Challenge. Check out all the other bloggers who are participating!

31 Day Writing Challenge

Don’t miss a single tip! Sign up to get all the tips in your email:


Sign Up for Email Subscription



Other tips in the 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes series:


Seaside Theme Bathroom Refresh #LowesCreator | Pretty Handy Girl

Seaside Theme Bathroom Refresh #LowesCreator | Pretty Handy Girl

You know those projects that you complete 80% of the room and think to yourself, “This is good for now. I’ll do the rest in a day or two.” Yup, the boy’s bathroom was one such 80 percenter. I finally took the time to finish the last 20 percent of this bathroom makeover by giving it a refresh with some paint and new knobs.

The bathroom used to look like this:

Seaside Theme Bathroom Refresh #LowesCreator | Pretty Handy Girl

But, before that, it looked like this:

I find it comical that I took an underwater themed bathroom and gave it a seaside retreat feel. I guess you could say I pulled this big whopper from within the ocean and laid it out on the beach. LOL.

Let’s break it down now. Here’s how to paint a bathroom vanity so it will withstand the abuse of two young boys: Read more